SA 962（九六二） 见

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying at the Kalandaka Bamboo Grove in Rājagṛha.

At that time, the renunciant of the Ba-ts'a clan came to where the Buddha was, exchanged greetings with the World-Honored One, and after the greetings, sat to one side and said to the Buddha, "Gautama, how do you Gautama hold such a view and make such a statement: 'The world is permanent, this is true, the rest is false'?"

The Buddha told the renunciant of the Ba-ts'a clan, "I do not hold such a view and make such a statement: 'The world is permanent, this is true, the rest is false'."

"How do you Gautama hold such a view and make such a statement: 'The world is impermanent, both permanent and impermanent, neither permanent nor impermanent; has an end, has no end, both has an end and has no end, neither has an end nor has no end; life is the body, life is different from the body, the Tathāgata exists after death, does not exist after death, both exists and does not exist after death, neither exists nor does not exist after death'?"

The Buddha told the renunciant of the Ba-ts'a clan, "I do not hold such a view and make such a statement, up to neither existence nor non-existence after death."

At that time, the renunciant of the Ba-ts'a clan said to the Buddha, "Gautama! Regarding this view, what faults do you see, that you do not speak of any of these views?"

The Buddha told the renunciant of the Ba-ts'a clan, "If one holds the view that the world is permanent, this is true and the rest is false, this is an inverted view, this is an observing view, this is a wavering view, this is a defiled view, this is a binding view, this is suffering, this is obstruction, this is affliction, this is heat, bound by the fetters of views, ignorant and unlearned ordinary people will give rise to birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress in the future. Ba-ts'a clan renunciant! If one holds the view that the world is impermanent, both permanent and impermanent, neither permanent nor impermanent, has an end, has no end, both has an end and has no end, neither has an end nor has no end, this is life, this is the body, life is different from the body, the Tathāgata exists after death, does not exist after death, both exists and does not exist after death, neither exists nor does not exist after death. This is an inverted view, up to the arising of sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress."

The renunciant of the Ba-ts'a clan said to the Buddha, "Gautama! What view do you hold?"

The Buddha told the renunciant of the Ba-ts'a clan, "The Tathāgata's view is complete. Ba-ts'a clan renunciant! The Tathāgata's view is to see this noble truth of suffering, this noble truth of the origin of suffering, this noble truth of the cessation of suffering, and this noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Having such knowledge and such views, one abandons all views, all feelings, all births, all I and mine, and the afflictions of pride and attachment. One cuts them off, pacifies them, cools them, and realizes the truth. Such is liberation. Bhikṣu! Birth is not so, nor is non-birth so."

The Ba-ts'a clan said to the Buddha, "Gautama! Why do you say that birth is not so?"

The Buddha told the Ba-ts'a clan, "I will ask you, answer as you wish. Ba-ts'a! Suppose someone lights a fire in front of you. Do you see the fire burning? Then the fire is extinguished right in front of you. Do you see the fire extinguished?"

The Ba-ts'a clan said to the Buddha, "Yes, Gautama!"

The Buddha told the Ba-ts'a clan, "If someone asks you, 'Where did the fire go? Did it go to the east, west, south, or north?' If asked this, how would you answer?"

The Ba-ts'a clan said to the Buddha, "Gautama! If someone were to ask me this, I would answer like this: 'If someone were to light a fire in front of me, it would burn because of the firewood and grass. If more firewood is not added, the fire will be extinguished forever and will not arise again. To say that it goes to the east, south, west, or north is not right.'"

The Buddha told the Ba-ts'a clan, "I also say that form is already cut off and known, and feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are already cut off and known. Cutting off its root is like cutting off the top of a palm tree, with no further growth. It will never arise again in the future. To say that it goes to the east, south, west, or north is not right. It is very profound, vast, immeasurable, and countless, and is forever extinguished."

The Ba-ts'a clan said to the Buddha, "I will give an analogy."

The Buddha told the Ba-ts'a clan, "It is the right time to know."

The Ba-ts'a clan said to the Buddha, "Gautama! It is like a good and clean piece of land near a city or village, where a dense forest of strong and solid trees grows. There is a large strong and solid tree that has been there for many thousands of years. As time goes by, the branches and leaves fall off, the bark becomes rotten, and only the trunk stands alone. In the same way, Gautama! The Dharma and Vinaya of the Tathāgata is devoid of branches, leaves, and twigs, and only the empty trunk stands alone and strong."

At that time, the Ba-ts'a clan who had gone forth heard what the Buddha said, and with joy and delight, he rose from his seat and departed.